Cold as Ice • HS

Chapter 7 • Sunflower, Vol. 6

"Sunflowers just died.

Keep it sweet in your memory"

XXX

Harry

"Where are you?" Gemma's voice sounds through my car speakers.

"I just pulled into the driveway at a friend's place on campus, why?" I ask my sister, multitasking as I reverse my car into a parking spot.

"You were supposed to do tonight's dishes Harry" She sighs.

"I'm sorry, I forgot. I'll probably be home late but you can leave them out. I'm sorry Gem" I completely forgot. I've been swamped with training now that the rink opened up again and my schedule is pretty full.

It's my second year as an ice hockey player for the Golden Gophers, University of Minnesota's ice hockey team. But this year, I'm the team captain. Coach said he's never seen a player like me before, the scouts were going to love me.

I've been on the ice for as long as I can remember. When I turned 12, I started playing ice hockey with my dad. He's gotten me to where I am right now.

Team Captain of the Golden Gophers, leading them to the championships, I have to be 100% focused. There is no room for distractions.

Not even a 5"2 blue-eyed blonde you recently met?

Dammit, stop thinking about her Harry

The angry little woman has been on my mind ever since I quite literally bumped into her at the rink. I'd been skating with the team to celebrate the rink opening all morning.

Anyway, like I said. I need to stop thinking about her. But something about her intrigued me.

Imagine my surprise when I bumped into her again, my own home of all places. Her icy blue eyes pierced mine as she scolded me again. That Ice Queen has quite the temper.

Stop thinking about her

"I'm at my friends right now. But I promise I will do them tonight. I'll even cook dinner tomorrow!" I walk through the halls of the dorm building my best friend lives in. He said he'd be home after dinner in the food hall, which means I might be a little early.

"Let's not. Remember what happened last time? When Khio came over?" Gemma says.

Khio

"Okay, so I will pay for takeout. Deal?" I walk up to the dorm.

"Deal. Have fun with your friend!" Gemma ends our phone call.

I knock on the familiar door. No one's opening, he's not home yet. I feel the doorknob, to see if he left it open for me. He knows I like being early, or at least on time. So sometimes he'll leave his door unlocked when he knows I'm coming.

I'm answered with the door softly creaking open. I flick on the lights in the room and immediately notice the once-empty side of the room being neatly decorated. Did he get a new roommate?

The shelves are full of books, romans, and novels, decorated with fairy lights. There are notebooks on the desk, with floral prints on them. The wall is decorated with pictures of butterflies, flowers, and quotes. There's a week planner filled with Post-its with words scribbled onto them.

I plop myself down on the chair behind the desk, looking at the notebooks. I wonder what's written in them. I know I shouldn't read it. But my curiosity gets the better of me. I take the top one, a small notebook with daisies on it. There's a label at the front that says "Poems" in pretty handwriting.